'The Montgolfier - A First Rate of the French aerial Navy', 1783.

Description

English satire on the French art of flying, showing a fantastical image of a 'Montgolfier' hot-air balloon as the flagship for an imagined French aerial navy. French brothers Joseph Michel (1740-1810) and Jacques-Etienne (1745-1799) Montgolfier were amongst the first to succesfully exploit the idea of the hot-air balloon. Ballooning rapidly spread throughout Europe, and hot-air balloons became known as 'Montgolfiers' after their original inventors. Published by E Duchery, St James Street, on 25 October 1783.